Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Presented by
Prasad Pechetti
PRESENTATION OF
VACUUM BRAKE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Limitations
LIMITATIONS
The practical limit on the degree of vacuum attainable means that a very large brake piston and
cylinder are required to generate the force necessary on the brake blocks; when a proportion of the
British ordinary wagon fleet was fitted with vacuum brakes in the 1950s, the physical dimensions of
the brake cylinder prevented the wagons from operating in some private sidings that had tight
clearances;
The existence of vacuum in the train pipe can cause debris to be sucked in. An accident took place
near Ilford in the 1950s, due to inadequate braking effort in the train. A rolled newspaper was
discovered in the train pipe, effectively isolating the rear part of the train from the driver's control.
The blockage should have been detected if a proper brake continuity test had been carried out
before the train started its journey.